Keigo moved in less than a heartbeat.

His body was in front of mine before I could even blink.

Only then did I understand why the glass hadn’t touched me.

A shadow lunged at him.

Teeth sank into his arm.

He flinched—just a fraction—but it was enough. Two fangs flashed. His pupils narrowed into thin, predatory slits.

I couldn’t move.

Shock nailed my feet to the floor.

With his free hand, he grabbed my wrist and threw me away from him. No hesitation. No warning.

The world flipped.

When I hit the ground, I realized something was wrong.

Everyone else in the carriage was frozen.

Mid-breath. Mid-blink.

Outside the window, the city stood still.

Time had stopped.

My pulse thundered in my ears.

This wasn’t a dream.

Keigo struggled against the creature, forcing it back step by step. With a violent twist, he hurled its twisted body across the carriage. It crashed against the floor—yet the sound felt distant, swallowed by the suspended air.

He grabbed its jaw, trying to pry it open.

I had to move.

I scanned the carriage wildly.

Fire extinguisher.

Opposite wall.

I ran.

It was heavier than I expected, metal biting into my palms.

Behind me—

A wet, sickening crack.

I turned.

Keigo had ripped the creature’s arm off.

With his bare hands.

Horror surged through me—but I didn’t stop.

I lifted the extinguisher, breath locked in my lungs, and swung with everything I had.

Impact.

A brutal crack split the frozen silence.

The creature staggered.

Then it turned its face toward me.

Empty eyes.

A mouth stretching too wide.

“Hiiiiiimeeekkkooooo…”

My blood ran cold.

It dragged itself backward, slipping through the shattered window, dissolving into black mist.

Silence.

Keigo stood there, breathing hard. Blood streamed down his arm.

He grabbed me.

“Thanks. Put it back.”

His tone was calm. Controlled.

I obeyed.

As I repositioned the extinguisher, a bluish mist began to fall around us. The blood on my hands—on the floor—on the metal—faded.

Erased.

When I turned back, everything looked exactly as before.

No broken glass.

No creature.

No blood.

“Act normal,” he murmured. “Now.”

I returned to my seat on unsteady legs.

Time resumed.

Passengers blinked. Shifted. Scrolled through their phones.

No one had seen anything.

Keigo held his arm close to his body, hiding the wound with practiced precision. His expression was unreadable.

No pain.

No fear.

Just a mask.

But I knew.

What happened was real.

My heart pounded so violently it hurt. The image replayed in my mind—his blood, the creature’s voice.

It knew my name.

For the first time, my dreams made sense.

I had to tell him.

“Keigo—”

“Not now.”

The words cut clean.

I swallowed the rest.

Adrenaline drained from my body all at once. The carriage swayed. My stomach twisted. I clenched my fists to stay upright.

When the doors opened, I rushed out.

Air. Distance. Space.

Maybe if I walked fast enough, reality would catch up with me.

Behind me, Keigo followed, hand pressed to his arm, ignoring the curious glances of strangers.

I needed answers.

Because that thing knew my name.

And I had the terrible feeling this was only the beginning.